Concord Rule Statements Flashcards
What is battery?
Defendant engaged in voluntary conduct done with intent to touch the plaintiff, and caused a harmful or offensive contact
What is assault?
Intentional act that creates the apprehension of an immediate battery
Is contact required for assault?
No, but plaintiff must be aware of the defendant’s act
What must the defendant have in order to carry out an assault?
The ability and opportunity to immediately carry out the threat
What is false imprisonment?
Volitional act done with intent to confine that results in the plaintiff being confined to a bounded area
What is trespass to land?
Voluntary entry onto plaintiff’s land, committed with intent to enter the land of another
Trespass to chattels:
Volitional act with intent to do the act that causes interference with plaintiff’s chattel
How is conversion different from trespass to chattels?
In conversion, the interference substantially affects the value of the chattel, so the plaintiff is entitled to the full value
IIED vs NIED:
In NIED, the defendant causes the distress without intending to do so
What are defenses to intentional torts?
POPCANS
- PRIVILEGE: shopkeeper’s privilege
- OTHERS: self defense/defense of others/defense of prop
- Consent
- Arrest
- Necessity (private/public)
- recapture of chattels
- discipline
What is the mnemonic to help remember defenses to intentional torts?
SHOPKEEPERS ARREST & DISCIPLINE NECESSary Delinquents in order to RECAPTURE Control
What is consent?
Express or implied willingness to be subjected to otherwise tortious conduct
What are some examples of plaintiffs that are incapable of consenting?
- statutory rape situations
- unconscious or delirious people
- anyone induced to consent by fraud or duress
What is self-defense?
Person can use reasonable force if he reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent immediate harm
What is defense of others?
Person can use reasonable force to defend a third-party from attack
What are the two views for defense of others?
- Majority view: not liable if reasonably and honestly believed he was helping the victim
- Minority view: step into the shoes of the third-party, so can only use the amount of force he could have used
What is recapture of chattels?
Property owners have a limited privilege to retake stolen property, and can use reasonable force to do so
What is the force that people can use for discipline, and who can use it?
A parent, or one standing in loco parentis, is privileged to use reasonable force for discipline and control
Does discipline extend to teachers?
Yes, but excessive force is an assault or criminal act
How does arrest work as a defense?
- LAW ENFORCEMENT can arrest a person if they have probable cause to believe he has committed a crime
- CITIZENS can arrest to prevent a felony committed in their presence
What are the elements of negligence?
Duty, standard of care, breach, actual cause, proximate cause, damages
What is the general duty of care for negligence?
Legal obligation to conform to a standard of care to protect others from harm
What is the special duty of care for common carriers?
Must use the utmost care and diligence to protect customers from harm
What is The special duty owed from landowners to trespassing children?
If the landowner should anticipate kids being at the place of danger, and he knows/should know of the condition, and the child doesn’t or can’t appreciate the danger, and the risk to the child is greater than the utility of the condition, there is liability
What is the special duty owed by healthcare providers?
They must act with the skill and learning of similarly situated providers in the community
What is nonfeasance?
Failure to act, passive failure to take steps to protect others from injury
What is the general rule for nonfeasance as a basis for liability?
It isn’t a basis for liability (generally)
What is breach of duty?
Failure to act to reasonably protect the plaintiff from foreseeable harm
What are the ways to get a breach of duty?
- violate a statute
- Learned Hand formula
- Res Ipsa Loquitur
How can violation of a statute be a breach of duty?
Statutes establish the standard of care for all reasonable people, so as long as the plaintiff is in the class meant to be protected by the statute, and the harm came from violating the statute, the violation shows a breach
What is the Learned Hand formula?
The burden on the defendant to avoid the risk of harm is less then the gravity of the potential harm times the probability that harm will occur
What is Res Ipsa Loquitur?
Allows negligence to be found even when there’s no direct proof of it, so long as plaintiff can show the instrumentality causing the harm was under the control of D, the harm wouldn’t ordinarily have occurred without negligence, and the harm was not caused by the P
What is required for causation for negligence?
That the defendant was the actual and proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries
What are the two tests for actual cause?
- but-for test
- substantial factor test
What is the “but-for” test of causation for negligence?
But-for the defendant’s act or omission, plaintiff would not have been injured
What is a substantial factor test for negligence causation?
If two or more causes led to an injury, defendant’s act is the actual cause if the act was a material and substantial factor in bringing about the event